Perspectives: Police
perspectives: police and community
Jelani Cobb rode with the Newark police to look for evidence of discriminatory policing put in practice on the streets. What he saw seemed to justify the investigation’s findings: “I can’t help but think of what the Justice Department found here, that the Newark PD was stopping people without legal justification 75 percent of the time,” he commented.
In cities like Newark, most of the community wants the police to prevent crime or aggressively respond when it happens. Ultimately, an individual officer must use his or her discretion to decide if a law has been broken and what action to take. At the same time, citizens expect police to respect people’s rights, which are guaranteed in the Constitution and by other federal laws and court rulings.
How do members of the police force view the situation? Watch the following video excerpts, in which officers express their perspectives on police encounters in response to Jelani Cobb's questions.
First, detectives Ricardo Reillo and Wilberto Ruiz explain the approach they take during encounters on the street.
Next, Sergeant Joseph Conzentino shares what goes on in his head and the stress he is faced with when he is making a stop.
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Det. RICARDO REILLO: You got to look at it our way. I mean, they say there was five to six males and one of them possibly has a weapon. What would you do as a police officer if you encounter a group of males, one supposedly has a weapon on him? How would you confront the situation?
JELANI COBB, Correspondent: I’m not sure. But that’s why I asked the question about can you do this—can this be done in a way that still respects people’s rights? I think that’s the question that everybody is wondering about policing.
Det. WILBERTO RUIZ: Listen, we try to go out there and respect everybody’s rights.
Det. RICARDO REILLO: Exactly.
Det. WILBERTO RUIZ: We’re not out here saying, “Hey, we’re going to violate this person’s rights.” That’s not what we’re here for. I tell you, our main objective is to go home at the end of the night. We have families. We have children. We have wives. We have girlfriends. We have sisters. We have mothers. We have fathers.
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JELANI COBB, Correspondent: In that moment, you’re actually about to make a stop on this person, where is your head?
Sgt. JOSEPH CONZENTINO: I’ll admit there’s times when I have fear. And I think fear is probably one of your best friends. And there are times when you hear gunshots, and we have to run to those shots. Most people can’t equate or understand what’s that’s about.
Your heart rate, when it starts to increase, and you know, you’re running, and then you’re going to encounter someone and you may ultimately have to wrestle with that person. You got some bad people out there that have no problem going to the mat with a police officer and trying to take their gun and maybe even using it against them. So I don’t think anybody could ever understand the stress of the situation.
Take Notes
From what you saw in the videos, what intentions and concerns do the officers express? You may refer to the transcripts of the video segments to support your answers.
